9/11 cleanup and social awakening
The following post was from my original blog on ronincyberpunk.com, it is archived here for posterity purposes
Well the clean up of Ground Zero has nearly completed, the final beam will be removed in an hour at a special service. What a tragedy to have lived through, an event which forever changed the face of the earth. But while it remains one of the greatest tragedies and vicious attacks that have taken place on American soil it is also one of the greatest wake up calls ever. America had again dropped into arguing over trivialities, people were segregated emotionally - until this occurred. The loss of life is in no way repaid by the change I have seen in my home, my city, state or even my country, but it is a wonderful way in which a tragedy was turned even slightly into a victory.
I salute every soldier who went overseas to wage the war against terrorism. I salute every policeman and fireman who rushed into the towers. I salute my President. And I salute everyone who came together in this tragedy, everyone who realized what hate was and curbed their behavior, even the tiniest bit.
I am ashamed to admit this. When the planes hit the towers, my first thought was for the lives which were lost, but my mind did not dwell on it, almost immediatley I thought to myself "I turn 18 next month." And that was when no one really knew how we would react, how big this would get, how it would all end. For all we knew, the draft might have been reinstated and my fear was being forced to serve. I was afraid I would have to go to war. Not that I would die. But that I might cause someone else to die. And this bothered me, I thought long and hard about it and war. Fighting for what you believe in. It is something almost alien to my nature. And I would romanticize myself in war, how I could write a novel and describe the faces I remember.
I have always had the ability to memorize faces. If I walk through the mall odds are I'll recognize someone but have no idea where or how. And my fear in going to war, if I were on the front lines, I would have the faces of dead soldiers engrained into my memory. I don't know if I could do it and remain who I am today. I feel sure it would change me. And that is why I salute the soldiers with such vigor.
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